Abstract:
Spaceflight tracking, telemetry, and command (TT&C) serves as the “lifeline” for the measurement, tracking, and control of all types of spacecraft. Due to the long transmission distances and prolonged exposure of space TT&C links, TT&C signals are highly susceptible to interception and eavesdropping. Additionally, the current TT&C infrastructure is deployed in isolation with 360° open airspace, making TT&C links a weak link in space defense and offense. In recent years, with the rapid increase in the number of spacecraft deployed in orbit, the demand for enhancing the concealment of TT&C signals in electromagnetic space has become even more urgent. This paper focuses on the requirement to establish a “unilateral transparency” information advantage between ground and space, conducting research from multiple aspects such as waveform, transmission, and architecture. It explores several key technologies to support covert TT&C, proposes a comprehensive method for evaluating TT&C performance, and the performance analysis and simulation results are presented. The detection error probability can reach more than 98%, which verifies the effectiveness of the technology.